


What Almost Took You Away, Brought Us Closer

by Dragonstones



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bucky Barnes & Winter Soldier are Different Personalities, Civil War Team Iron Man, Do not post to another site, Gen, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Winter Soldier is a separate personality, amnesia tony stark, just a little bit though not too much, not team Cap friendly, tony loses his memory, will eventually become winteriron
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:41:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22301257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonstones/pseuds/Dragonstones
Summary: Tony is called to Wakanda to help search for Bucky, who has run away. Well, that's what everyone thinks.But, when a white horse shows up and Tony claims not to know who the ex-avengers are, things get complicated. And why does this horse want Tony?What's T'challa, Bucky, and the whole of Wakanda know about this horse and why is it all hush-hush?And why is Bucky so protective of Stark?
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark, WinterIron - Relationship, WintrIron
Comments: 17
Kudos: 250





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story and Toddler Madness are the two project fics I plan on doing this year. This fic has a bit of a supernatural element in it. I hope everyone enjoys. 
> 
> I'm only posting this fic on ao3. 
> 
> Comments and kudos are very much appreciated

The Wakandain forest is a lush place in spring. Flora blooms and vegetation flourishes. Tree leaves are a healthy color of greens and break a bright brown. Air is crisp and clean, the wind is a cooling lullaby against the skin. But Tony couldn’t admire the beauty of the land he’s visiting. Now he’s here with a purpose. The purpose of being part of a search party. After the event that tore apart the Avengers and left him with a broken suit in a Siberia. The ‘Civil War’ the media had called it. Well, one can tell Tony is not happy to be working with the ex-avengers. But, he was requested to help. T’challa, the King of Wakanda, had requested Tony Stark’s help.

From what Tony had been briefed on, someone had gone missing. No not missing, runaway. They have run off into the forest around the King’s home. The rogues have been searching for at least four days now, they haven’t had any luck. Even, T’challa’s sister had tried to locate the runaway with their technology. She didn’t have any luck either. Tony had noted during the meeting that Steve had been stiff as a rock, barely moving, barely breathing. But, the engineer knows that the Captain is a nervous wreck. He can see it in the man’s eyes. Who’s this runaway that Tony had been called to find?

James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes.

This is why he’s in the Wakandain forest with his ex-teammates. He’s here to help find the runaway ex-Hydra brainwashed soldier. How lucky must he be to have this happen to him? Lady Luck has a really funny sense of humor it seems.

“How nice. I have to help find a runaway ex-soldier.” Stark grumbled, a huff of breath escaping his nose. His ex-teammates look at him. Steve is silent—that’s a miracle— but his eyes show his emotions. He’s not happy about Tony’s comment. Vision side glanced at him but turned his attention away when Tony spotted the android. But, he did catch a glimpse of a sympathetic expression. The android knew that Tony didn’t want to be there. Barton didn’t even look at the man.

“We don’t need your help stark.”

Ah yes, the last of their little search party. The Witch. The one who blamed him for her parents' death and thinks that he owes her everything for that. The one who filled his head with that vision— that nightmare— and he caused him to create Ultron. Despite what everyone says and thinks, Tony did own up to the Ultron accident. He wasn’t trying to create a killer sentient robot. He wanted to create something that would protect the world from alien invasions. But, his track record with luck is anything but the best.

“Well T’challa thought you did, why else would he have called me?” Tony titled his head and shrugged. Voice nonchalant and uncaring. He can tell this angers the witch. Her hands started to glow red. Vision tugs on her arm making her turn her head to him. He shakes his head and the red glow of her hands dies down. Not like Stark cared about her killing him, it didn’t matter to him anymore. In fact, every since he stepped into Wakanda, Tony had not cared about anything. At least that’s what anyone looking at him would think. He’s had years to perfect hiding his emotions.

“Come on, enough of the fighting,” Steve shouts, pulling everyone’s attention back to the matter at hand. “Let’s focus on finding Bucky.”

Bucky...It’s always about Bucky, isn’t it Roger’s? Never about anyone else, huh.

“Right.” The engineer's monotone voice lets them know how he feels about this. Nothing. Nothing at fucking all. Why is he even here? Oh right, T’challa called him to help. He has to keep reminding himself that this is for T’challa and not for his ex-team. Tony had also noticed that in the two hours that they’ve been out, only fifty miles has been searched. “We’ll cover more ground if we split into teams.” The sigh from Steve is satisfying to hear. Much to Stark’s surprise.

“As much as I don't like this idea, Stark’s right.” Steve slumps his shoulders, turning the group. It’s Stark now, eh? Tony kept that this little information stowed away in his mind. No longer first name base it seems. “I don't want to lose anyone else, but we’ll have to split up.”

Don’t want to lose anyone else? Your actions spoke differently in Siberia. Tony pushes through to the back of his mind. The sooner Barnes is found, the sooner he can return to the states.

“There’s only five of us, though.” Clint pipes up. The others look around, staring lingering on Tony just a little too long. The engineer snorts in his head, any easy fix.

“Vision and Wanda are one team. You and Steve are another. Then there’s me.” Pointing to the respective teams as he said them, Tony shrugs. Vision will keep Wanda happy and Steve didn’t seem to have a problem with Clint from what Tony had seen. “There, issue solved.” 

What was so hard about that? And the best part is that Tony didn’t have to deal with these people. It’s blatantly obvious that they don’t want him here and Tony doesn’t want to be here either. He didn’t want to be near them as much as they didn’t want to be near him. So, this would work out. He wants to be alone anyways. It’ll work perfectly. Not like he’s going to get lost or anything. Friday can easily track back to the palace since Tony had hooked her up to their connections. 

“But that leaves you on your own.” Vision chimed, the android not knowing that Tony wanted to be alone. Or did, and is worried about his creator? Father? What is Tony to the android? 

“Hey, Vision has a point. We don’t need anyone else getting lost.” Steve nodded, agreeing with Vision’s statement. Bucky is already lost, another would not help the search. It would only double the number of people to find. Tony resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 

“I have a suit with an A.I. that's connected to T’challa. I’ll be fine.” Tony rubbed his forehead with a gauntlet encased hand. The faceplate snapped shut and Stark is soon hovering in the air. “Now get searching, people.” He takes off. 

“Tony!!” Steve shouts at the man flying off from the group. Damn it Stark, reckless as ever. 

“I’ll follow him.” Clint grunts, sprinting after the flying Iron Man Suit. 

Steve sighed and shook his head. Of course, something like this would have happened. Stark's involved, “Fine, we’ll meet back here in one hour.” 

The smaller teams soon went in separate ways.

* * *

Tony landed near the bank of a small stream. The faceplate snapped back and Tony breathed the cool air in. it’s a shame that his lung capacity is shit. The air is like fresh water for them. At least now the only sound that accompanied him is the sound of the stream. No Steve to lecture him, no death glares from a teen witch. No nothing. Him and the Wakandain nature. Now Tony can enjoy the scenery. Oh, how beautiful it is. He spotted a large bird high up in a tree, spread its wings and take off. A rainbow shimmering off its black feathers. Oh, how nice it would be if he could sprout wings and fly from this misery that is his life to freedom. 

But, he can’t marvel at the beauty for too long. Alas, he has a mission to do. 

“Hey, Barnes?!” Tony cups his hands around his mouth, giving him a makeshift microphone. It wouldn’t do much, but it’s better than anything. And Barnes has super hearing too. The man is a super soldier like Steve. “Where you at?” 

Tony repeated his actions for a while, he even walked a bit from where he had landed. But he had not heard Barnes at all. Maybe the guy isn’t in this area. Tony may have to take to the sky soon. The man’s voice is starting to sound scratchy from his yelling. Sighing, the engineer runs a hand through his hair. Where the hell did Barnes run off too? 

“Should I scan the area for Mr. Barnes?” Friday suggests, making Tony hum for a moment. 

“Yeah, might as well.” The Stark shrugs, what’s the harm of scanning. Maybe Barnes is hiding in a cave and that’s why he can’t hear him. Or Tony is too far for his hearing to pick up Barnes’ replies. Now Tony is wishing he had scanned the area first before almost shouting his voice out. 

“Scanning now,” Friday says. Tony nods. 

Taking a few breaths, Tony listens to the sounds of the woods. The chirping of bird songs and buzzing of insects fill his ears with their melodies. He doesn’t want to disturb the soothing sounds of the forest with his abrupt yelling. If only he could stay silent and listen for a while longer. That’s all he wants, but he knows it’s too much to ask for. It’s too much for him to have. Tony Stark can never get things like this. With a deep sigh, Tony cups his hands into a microphone shape again. 

“Barnes! If you hear me, yell!”

Whipping around to the sound of a bush rustling and a twig snapping, Tony readies his gauntlet. The low light of a charging beam is all sign a threat would need to realize that he's armed if the suit wasn’t a dead give away. Tony doesn’t want to kill, he’s on a search and rescue mission. Killing would be avoided if possible, but if he must he will. But it’s not a threat that had made those sounds. It was a horse. Tony had gotten scared by a horse. How laughable.

Though why didn’t Friday say anything about it being behind him? 

“Oh, it’s a horse.” Tony his arm down, the gauntlet powering down. At least no one was there to mock him for getting scared by a horse. He can be mocked for anything for all he cares, but scared by a horse is not going to be one of them. Tony looks at the horse with an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that.” 

The four-legged mammal titled its head and blinked. A snot leaving its nose. Its eyes where a bright gold and its body is the purest white Tony has ever seen. It’s main and tail is long and lushest for a horse. Cyan flowers litter its mane and tail in a river or stream-like manner. A cyan feather is clamped to one ear by a gold ring. All in all, this horse is the most beautiful Tony has ever seen. 

“You’re...pretty.” Tony blinked, the fact he called a horse pretty is strange. But something about this one is different. He can’t take his eyes off it. He just couldn’t bring himself to take his eyes off such an amazing creature. 

The horse takes a step closer and looks at the armor. It shakes its head. Also disappearing. Tony looks at the suit then back at the horse. The gold eyes are soft and inviting. Their calm, friendly, and full of hope. Hope that tony wishes for it. Hope that he wouldn’t have to be in pain anymore. No pain from the world. No pain that is his life. Just no pain at all. The more he stares into the horse’s eyes, the more he felt like the horse understood his pain. The pain of betrayal, the pain of having that shield slammed into his arc reactor. The pain of being left to die in the Siberian winter. It’s like the horse understood it all. 

_‘Do you want the pain to go away? I can do that for you.’_

A feminine voice fills his head. It’s warm and friendly. Almost motherly. Tony blinks and looks around. He doesn’t see anyone else around. Especially no woman. He turns back to the horse and titles his head, asking a silent question. The horse nods and gives a hearty snort. Tony blinks, but a smile pulls on his lips. 

“Y-yeah, I...I’d like that.” he stumbles over his words. Something blooms in his chest. 

_‘Do you want to forget the people who hurt you? Do you want to forget them? I can do that too. I can make anything and everything goes away. No more pain. No more bad memories. No more anything if you want.’_

Tony knew who they — them— is. The rogues. The ones who used him for his money and bashed him at every turn they could get. The thought of not remembering them sounded too good to be true, it sounds like a miracle. But for some reason Tony felt— no knew— that the horse could do that for him. It could take all the memories away and the pain with them. “Please make me forget them. I’m tired of the pain.”

 _‘Step out of the suit, my sweet child. Don’t be scared.’_

Tony does as the horse asked and stepped out of his suit. It didn’t matter. The suit didn’t matter to him. Only the horse did. Only the horse mattered. Why would he need a suit when the horse would take care of him. He’ll be free from all this pain and the memories of the rogues. The memory of the blasted shield in his chest. The horse turned it’s head to the side and Tony felt an urge. And urge to pet the majesty animal. It felt like he had no control of his body. 

_‘Do you want to come with me? You’ll never have to feel pain again. No more them, too. I’ll protect you from anything that’ll cause you pain.’_

Protect him for anything that’ll cause him pain? That sounded like heaven to Tony. a life of no more pain is something the man has wanted for a long time. “Got with you? Like no more pain? No more them?” The stark sounded so hopeful. Could this happen? Could he finally be pain-free? The horse nods and Tony’s chest flutters to life with warmth. “Yeah, I’d like that.” 

Tony stepped forward and pet the horse’s neck. The mane is soft and silk-like to the touch. He leaned into the horse, rubbing his face into the hair. He fisted a bit of the hair as well. He felt so comfortable, safe and warm. He didn’t want to leave the horse’s side. He wants to stay. He wanted to stay safe and pain-free. The rogues had caused him so much pain that he could cry. But the horse’s breathing soothed his tears before they could even gather in his eyes. Rouges, oh how he hated the rouge, Avengers. The rogues, the rogues...the rogues...the...who? 

Who were the rogues? Tony didn’t know any rogues. All he knew was that the horse, his savior is here. He feels so tired. So exhausted, like he could for a hundred years. There’s some rustling nearby and Tony lifts his head, blinking the sleep from his eyes. What’s going on? He knows that he’ll have to climb onto his savior’s back at getting out of here, but for some reason, he can’t, 

“Leave him alone!” 

A voice sounds and Tony jumps from being startled. This voice sounds angry and...familiar? He couldn’t tell. His head swims. Tony places his hands on at the side of his head and squeezes his eyes shut. Why is he here? Who was that voice? Why is his head swimming? God, his head starting to hurt. But a pained screech makes him open them. The horse, his savior is fighting again a strangely dressed man. Brown hair tired back in a half bun wears a strange like a robe, and has a blue piece of cloth tied over a stump of an arm. He’s also wearing sandals. The man is dodging his savior’s bits and front hooves. He’s also cautious with the hind hooves as well. Whoever this man is, he seems to be knowledgeable against a horse. At least that’s what Tony thinks. 

Tony didn’t know he did this, but he felt he had too. Tony had jumped onto the man’s back. But is thrown off with ease. He’s surprised, not cause he's been thrown off. But, cause of how far he flew. He smashed into a tree before body slamming to the ground. With the wind knocked out, Tony stares that the man. How is he so strong? The Stark watches as the man is clipped by a hoof, forcing him to kneel. But, he doges when his savior tries to bite him. The feeling of being useless is starting to become overwhelming and prompts Tony to move. Getting up hurts, his body screaming at him to stop. But, he doesn’t. He joins in. 

He throws a punch at the man, but he rolls. Tony is careful to watch where the horse aims. He doesn’t want to get a hoof to the head. But, Tony it’s as careful as he thought he was, he doesn’t see a mud spot near the stream and slips on it. He falls right into the path of an oncoming hoof. The last thing Tony remembers before blacking out is the man screeching ‘No!’ and any angry neigh. 

“Hey, wake up. Come on, wake up.” 

Tony groaned as he feels someone lightly tapping his face. Mostly on the left side. A voice telling him to wake up accompanying the soft taps. His vision flutters in and out as he slides back into consciousness. The figure's blurry, but blinking clears up the sight. It’s a man. He has a trimmed bread, steel blue eyes and is a little scruff in the face. Like he’s been in a fight. 

“Who are you?” Tony asks, never have seen this man before. Who is he and why is he here? 

“Bucky, remember?” The man says, helping Tony into a sitting position. The Stark’s head is killing him. It feels like he got hit by a train and then drank a shelf full of whiskey. Tony raised a brow at the man. Bucky? That name doesn’t sound familiar. But his face does. If only for a fraction of a second. The man must have noticed the confusion on his face cause he says; “James Buchanan Barnes. I go by Bucky.” 

Tony side-eyed the man. Is he telling him, that he— Tony Stark— knows him? Tony would know if he knew anyone named ‘James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes. 

“Sorry, I don’t know anyone by that name.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony wakes up and has no idea what's going on.  
> Bucky is done with everything.

“What?” 

Tony blinks at the man. His face pulled into a surprised expression with a hint of concern. From what he could hear of the man’s voice, this man James— Bucky— sounded crushed. Did Tony know this man? No, he couldn’t. He’d remember someone with this guy’s name. Could he have mistaken Tony for someone he knows? Quite possibly. Wouldn’t be the first time someone has mistaken Tony for someone they knew. 

From what Tony can tell is that this man is strange. His clothes look like something a hippie would wear. But it’s his eyes that caught billionaire's attention. Steel blue, clear and focused. A pretty blue that Tony hasn’t seen before and yet he feels like he’s stared at these eyes before. No, he knows he’s seen these eyes before. But where? Worry shines in them. What’s he worried about? Himself? Tony? It’s hard to tell, but there’s something that the Stark can see that’s hinted in these blue marbles. 

Broken. 

This man has been broken. He’s exhausted. And tony can tell. The Stark knows the look of a broken person before. 

“I said I don’t know anyone by that name.” Tony softens his voice, his head pounding. He didn’t like how this man is so concerned about if Tony knows him or not. But, with how broken this man looks, Tony doesn’t want to cause unnecessary stress. Do the two know each other? Maybe Tony forgot due to how busy he is. Whatever the case is, Stark didn’t know this man. 

“You sure?” Tony soften his expression when the man asked. Tony can hear the fear in it. It’s like he fears that Tony doesn’t know him. Or remembers. Even his voice is broken. This man has not had a kind life. And Tony can tell. It’s so easy to tell how broken this man is. How exhausted he must be. 

“I’m more than sure.” Tony nods. He wished he didn’t answer though. The man’s face shatters like glass. Like he’s holding on a thin thread that’s keeping him from falling. And Tony had cut that thread. Tony swears that if the man could cry, he would. As much as Tony didn’t care about people’s feelings, this time he did. This man, Bucky, hasn’t had it easy. Tony stands from his seated position and extends a hand out to Bucky, who accepts it. “Now, where am I? And why am I in a forest?” 

Tony looks around the area and spots a disregarded suit. His disregarded. Tony raised a brow. Why would he step out of his suit while in the middle of an unknown forest? He’s not that crazy, no matter what Pepper and Rhodey say about him! Stubborn yes, but brain dead stupid? No. After shaking and plucking forest litter from his clothes, Tony steps back into his suit. The armor clips back into place around him. Why did he leave his suit?

“Well, you’re in Wakanda,” Bucky tells him, whipping the forest debris from his clothing. Wakanda? That sounds familiar, but Tony can’t put his finger on it. Stark stares at him for a moment and Bucky turns his gaze. It’s like the man is uneasy with Tony staring at him. Once he heard that Stark didn’t remember him, Barnes felt himself breaking. At least that’s what it looked like to Tony. why did he look so upset? He couldn’t know how Bucky felt at this moment. But, if he did, it’s crushing him. 

What did Bucky feel like at this moment? Bucky felt that he had failed. He felt like breaking. Tears threaten the corner of his eyes. He didn’t want stark to see him like this. Bucky has seen what this horse can do and when he saw Tony leaning on it, he felt nothing but terror. He’d charged at the mammal, hoping to get there in time to protect Stark. To separate the two before anything could have been done. But, it seems that he was too late. Tony doesn’t remember him. What should he do? Who should he tell about Stark’s condition and what he saw? Steve? No, Steve probably wouldn’t believe him about a white horse erasing people's memories. T’challa? His sister? Those two would be his best bet. They’ll be more likely to believe him. There’s no way he’s telling the other ex-avengers about this. He doesn’t want to think about what they’d do with this information. But, for now, Bucky pulled himself together. He and Tony need to get out of here. But, there’s one problem…“I’m kinda lost too.” 

This isn’t the news that Tony wanted to hear. He knows he’s in a place called Wakanda. But being in the middle of a forest with someone who’s also lost is not idle by any means necessary for getting out. But, panicking will only further in getting them lost more. It’s best if they stay where there at and think of a plan. Tony's good at making plans— and no. What Rhodey and Pepper say about some of them being terrible doesn’t count— so he’s sure he has this in the bag. 

“So, to recap…” Tony clicks his tongue, waving his pointer finger dramatically in the air. The stark has always had a flair for being dramatic. “I’m lost here with someone claiming that I know them. Your name’s James Buchanan Barnes, but you go by ‘Bucky’. And you’re lost too.” Bucky nods to everything he listed off. Well, this is one hell of a situation on his hands.

“Well then.” Tony placed his hands on metal hips. This is not how he expected to send his time in Wakanda. Or wherever the hell he’s at. 

“You’re part of a search party, Boss.” 

Tony mentally smacked himself for forgetting one important aspect of this situation. His A.I. and suit. Out of everything that can help him and Bucky get out of here, it’s his machines. Of course, his machines could get them out of there. They're the one thing that Stark spends countless hours on. He remembered when Rhodey and he were in college. Tony wouldn’t eat, sleep, or do any basic care when he had set himself on a project. There were times Rhodey would drag him from a project and tossed him into the shower, hoping he’d come out clean.

“Friday! I forgot you were here.” Tony chirps, though he did hear the slight annoyance in the A.I.’s voice. Could A.I.s sound annoyed? Well if it’s Tony making them, then they may have a full range of emotions. At least one would think it’s emotion. Whenever Tony works on something, it’s always an extraordinary thing he’ll make. Better than anything anyone could think of. He’s a genius for a reason. And a goddamn stubborn one at that. “Sorry about that, sweetpea.” 

From the look Bucky was giving him, Tony could tell that the man didn’t get what conversation meant. But before Tony could explain, the man shakes his head and looks to the sky. Tony looks up as well and see’s the slightest of orange. The sunset gives the sky a pretty glow of autumn colors. Tony could stare at this until the colors vanished, but Bucky’s voice cuts through his gazing. “We should start heading out. It’s going to be dark soon.” 

Tony sighed, he wanted to watch the sunset for a while more, but Bucky is right. The two better find shelter soon. From what Tony can tell be the light, they have about two hours or so left for daylight. This means they need to get a move on, now. Tony turned to look at Bucky but didn’t see that man there. This caused Stark to panic, but only for a moment. A sharp whistle cut his ears and the man looked in the direction it can from. Bucky’s in front of him, standing on top of a small pile of boulders. He waves for Tony to follow him. 

Tony is about to start climbing when a rustling catches both his attention and Bucky. Stark’s turns around, gauntlet at the ready. Bucky drops from the boulders, his only arm held in a fighting position. His hand clenched into a fist. Tony had now taken into account the man only has one arm. How could he have forgotten? He’s been standing with this man for a while now. Surely he’d remember he only had one arm. Both side glance at each other, brown eyes meet steel blue and the conversation is silent. Both nod and turn there in the direction of the rustling. Soon, someone pops out from the trees. 

“Bucky!” 

Tony blinks as Bucky relaxes, a sigh of relief leaving the man’s lips. This must be someone Bucky knows. At least that’s what Tony thinks. He’s never seen this man before. And his weapon choice is ridiculous too. Who uses bows and arrows nowadays? Though Tony wants to chuckle at the weapon choice, he keeps his mouth shut for now. Best not to make enemies at this moment. 

“Hey, Clint,” Bucky says, clapping the man on his shoulders. Tony takes this as a friendly gesture between the two men and relaxes, though only slightly. Bucky and this man may be friends, but that doesn’t mean the other man is friends with him.“Nice to see you.” 

“Likewise.” The man nods a smile on his face. Tony can tell he’s rather happy to see the other. Tony decides not to comment on the exchange the man— Clint— and Bucky has. But once Clint notices Tony, the man’s demeanor changes. He’s rigged and voice rough. Like he didn’t want to see Tony there.“Stark.” 

Tony's first impression of this guy? He’s an asshole. That’s one hell of a way to greet someone. Especially if it’s someone you don’t know. Unless this guy says that he does know him. And say that Tony knows him too. 

“You gonna say you know me too?” Tony asks. He has a sneaking suspicion about the answer but asks anyway. 

“Of course I know you.” Clint raises a brow. The man didn’t seem to tolerate Stark at all. If what he said next is any given. “What game is this?” 

Tony felt the corners of his lips twitch. Whoever this man is, Tony does not like him at all. What a snobby attitude to give to someone asking a simple question. At least his suspicion is confirmed though. A caught catches Tony’s attention and he turns to Bucky. The man looks a bit nervous, even uncomfortable. Clint titles his head, a confused expression plastered on his face. 

“Can I...un...talk to Clint privately for a few minutes?” Bucky rubs the back of his neck. Tony can see a thin layer of sweat gathering on the man’s forehead. He even sees Bucky chewing on the inside of his cheek. 

“Be my guest.” Tony gestures, not seeing a reason to deny Bucky’s request.

Said man nods and struts toward Clint. He hooks his hand under the archer’s armpit and drags him out of earshot of Stark. Bucky didn’t give Clint a chance to argue or fight. Turning his head to see if Tony is still where he had left him, Bucky sighs as he sees the smaller man’s head down. He seems to be doing something with his suit, but Bucky would worry about that some other time. Though his heart begins to beat fast behind his breast. He knows anything can happen in the forest so fast, that one could not see it coming. He didn’t want to lose track of Stark. Not after what happened. 

“The hell?” Clint growled, not being a fan of a super-soldier dragging him. Especially with Stark there. Tony could have killed Bucky and the man is acting like this is the Tony he knows. What the hell is going on? 

“Stark hit his head and is dealing with some amnesia,” Bucky whispers. He didn’t want Tony hearing them and he motioned Clint to do the same. He also didn’t know if he should tell Clint the truth to how Stark had gotten ‘amnesia’. But from what time he has spent with the ex-avengers, he doubted Clint would believe him. He doubts any of the rogues would believe his story. And he’s noticed who they’ve talked about Stark. He’s inclined to believe that they’ll not believe him or ignore what he says. “Please do not cause more stress. He’ll lose more memories.” 

“I don’t think that’s how amnesia works.” Clint hums. His questioning stare is starting to make Barnes sweat. The hair on the back of the man’s neck is probably sticking and Bucky looked like he’s ready to have a panic attack. 

“Just don’t cause any more stress, ok?” Bucky didn’t mean for panic to slip into his voice, but it had. He’s been on the verge of a panic attack for the past day or two now. And the last thing he needed is Clint to cause more memory loss for Tony. The horse has done enough damage as it is. And Barnes doesn’t know if it’s reversible or not. Though, it seems the panicked expression and tone did do a bit of good. 

“Fine, ok, whatever.” Clint huffed, throwing his hands into the air in dramatic fashion. The things he does for these people. 

“Thank you.” Bucky sighs, a weight has been lifted from his chest. At least that’s one issue solved. It’s a minor one, but it still gives Bucky peace. Still helps him relax from this very stressful and delicate situation. He turns and heads back to Tony, Clint following right behind him. “Sorry about that,” Bucky says once he’s next to Tony again, his heart slowing from its race knowing he’s near now. 

“It’s fine.” Tony clicks his tongue, not looking up. He’s looking at a hologram. There are several yellow crisscrossed highlighted lines, but there’s one that’s red and bright. Bucky tilted his head, confused but intrigued at the strange display. Tony couldn’t help but smile. “I had Friday calculate the fastest route back to...” Tony snaps his fingers a few times, trying to remember the name of the place he’s at. 

“Wakanda,” Bucky says, still looking at the hologram. His inner child is threatening to come out. He’s always been a bit of a tech nerd. Bucky hides his hand behind his back, hoping it’ll help him control himself and get all touchy with Stark’s tech. 

“Right!” Tony chirps. How did he forget the name? He must be out of it to not remember the name of a country! He’s thankful that Bucky is here to help him. It saved a bit of embarrassment. Not like Tony hasn’t embarrassed himself enough in his life. 

“There’s a rendezvous point close by. To meet up with the others.” Clint states, both Tony and Bucky looked at the man. The archer pointed his thumb behind him as if saying ‘it’s back that way’. Bucky looked at Tony and shrugged his shoulders. Tony rubbed his goatee and looked at the sky. The orange now more prominent than before. They’re losing daylight. Clint grabs the men’s attention with; “We should head there first.” 

“Ok, then. Lead the way.” Tony shrugs, gesturing to the archer to start lending. This makes both Bucky and Clint blink. 

“Um...yeah. Sure.” Clint stumbled over his words. Was this Stark? From what the archer knew, Tony would have fought him. about meeting up at the rendezvous point or getting the heck out of the forest. About anything really. The fact that he’s not fighting is worrying. Could have Barnes been right about Tony losing his memories? If so, then this may be a larger issue then what Clint had thought. He shoots a glance at Bucky, the man is as confused. But, concern etches into his face. 

“Everything alright?” Tony asks, a brow raised as he watches the silent exchange between the two men. 

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” Clint muses, eyes still on Barnes. The one-armed man nods, saying things are fine. He then gestures to Clint at the woods behind him. As if getting what Barnes meant, the archer starts leading them. “This way.”

* * *

“Bucky!” Steve shouted as he ran up to the three males. He pats Clint on the shoulder and then hugs Bucky. Both men looking very relieved to see each other. Of course, Tony can’t blame this new man, Steve, for worrying about his friend. If something like this happened Rhodey or Pepper, Tony would be crying to see them safe and sound. 

“Thank god, you’re alright.” Steve murmurs as he let’s go of Bucky. Said man chuckles as he brushes some of his brown locks from his face, saying he’s fine. 

Tony leans against a tree and takes a breather. He knows that his lung capacity isn’t what it used to be, so he takes longer to recover some something as short as a walk. Though if anyone asked, Tony would say it was anything but a short walk. More like he and the other two men hiked half the mountain in two hours. Tony also felt his stomach burning with hunger. He doesn’t know when he had eaten last. So, for all he knows, he’s starving. 

“Can you wait here for a bit?” Bucky asks as he steps closer to Tony. He doesn’t want to leave Stark on his own. When he had dragged Clint away, Bucky could swear on his mother that he’d have a panic attack. if Tony was gone when he had looked back. But, Bucky needed to tell the others about Tony’s condition. The engineer looks up at him and nods. 

“Yeah.” Tony pants, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He watches as Bucky nods and hauls the others to a distance where Tony couldn’t hear them, but still see. “Take your time.” The engineer mumbles to himself. 

“You all, with me.” Bucky grunts. His Winter Soldier voice giving them any hint that something is wrong and that they need to shut up and listen. 

“Something wrong, buck?” Steve asks, worried about what has his friend in Winter Soldier mode. This ever happens when he’s triggered, having an anxiety attack, or threatened. “You’re not hurt are you?” 

“I’ll take care of Stark if it was him.” Wanda threatened, her hands glowing red. But stopped when Bucky growled at her to stand down.

If there’s one thing that everyone knows is that you don’t piss of Bucky when he’s gone Winter Soldier. It’s a disaster waiting to happen. Even Vision looked worried about being near Bucky. The android does not want to get on the man’s bad side. Especially when he’s like this. 

“Bucky’s fine, guys. Chill.” Clint rolled his eyes. Yes, the Winter Soldier is scary. In fact, the soldier downright terrifies the archer, but he has a feeling of why Bucky has gone Soldier on them. “It’s Tony that’s the—” 

“Something happened to Tony.” Bucky sighs as he calms himself, though glaring at the others— mostly Wanda— as they turn to look at the man. Though, Bucky finds it annoying how these people seem to hate Stark. like how can you hate someone who's helped you? he’s glad that Tony is still leaning against the tree. His heads down though and arms crossed over his armored chest. It looked like he was sleeping. “He’s been hurt.” 

Bucky can see the confused expressions. Like the gears in their heads are turning to process what Bucky had said. This made the man rub his forehead in frustration. For a group of people plus an android, one would think processing the information someone else being injured would be easy. Guess not. 

“But, not physically.” Bucky puffs a breath of air. This is going to belong. And they're running out of daylight too. "So, shut your mouths and listen. I will only be saying this once.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bucky is so done with everything and everyone. This man needs a nap.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky tells the others about Tony's amnesia. It goes as well as one would expect.  
> Bucky almost has a heart attack, and Winter is being a bit of a dick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are appreciated.

Bucky crossed his arms as he watched the group’s reaction to the information they’ve been given. Clint looked annoyed, even pissed. Why? Well, most of the group had reacted the way most would have thought one react. All were in various states of concern. Vision had said something about getting Stark to medical once they’ve returned. This had Bucky agreeing. But one of the groups' members is testing every ounce of control Bucky had over the Winter Soldier. And is the reason why Clint looked angry. The witch. She found it funny. How can one find the fact that someone has amnesia? 

“What?” The Witch snorts, not at all hiding the amused smile on her face.“Stark has amnesia?” Bucky can feel the Soldier creeping up and he’s doing all he can do to keep the soldier down. This isn’t funny, how can someone be laughing at something like this. 

“Yes he does,” Bucky growled, eyeing the Hydra witch. Vision had placed a hand on her shoulder. Most likely in an attempt to keep her from doing something she’ll regret. Though, Bucky doubted that the android could do much once the witch had started on a full assault. And Bucky knew for a fact that few would survive against the Winter Soldier in a full-on fight. So, try him, little girl. 

“The irony is hilarious.” Another snort from the Witch. Bucky’s patience with the woman is thin, to begin with, but not it’s barely the weight of a hair. If she says one more thing, Barnes will snap and let the Soldier out.

The ex-military studies every face of the group. Steve's worried, the creasing on his forehead is a very clear sign. The man was never good at hiding his emotions that well. Vision is a stock expression, making it hard to know the android’s feelings. But, knowing that Vision is close to Stark, Bucky believes that the beings do care. Clint looked ready to send an arrow at the Witch. Not that Barnes can blame him, he’d love to let the Soldier have a go at her. Said entity growled— howled— to be let out, but Bucky hushed the Soldier. Soothed the raging being with promises to get back at the woman in non-lethal ways. He’s grateful to Shuri for helping him with tolerating the Soldier. Maybe one day he’ll even get along with his other half. 

“How did Stark get amnesia, Buck?” Steve’s voice cuts through Bucky’s inner soothing sensation with the Soldier. Causing the one-armed man to blink and shake himself back to reality. The group is staring at him. Like he had vanished and then materialized in front of them. Much like Vision does when going through walls. Well, this is a bit embarrassing. Bucky didn’t normally faze out in front of people. He scolds the Soldier for finding amusement in Bucky’s misery. 

“I found him unconscious on the ground.” Bucky blurts. Which is true, but it’s not the whole story. He doesn’t plan on telling them that he got into a fistfight with a horse and Tony got kicked in the head. That’ll most likely make the Witch laugh. Barnes didn’t need the witch having more material to hold over Tony’s head. She already has her family’s death in the pile. And Bucky isn’t in the mood to deal with an over dotting Steve. He can take care of himself for fuck's sake. 

Bucky sighed and rubbed his forehead. Can this get any worse? Why does life hate him so much? Why does he have to be stuck with an overbearing Steve? Along with a Hydra Witch— who has more than a bone to pick with Tony— an archer, and an android. At least Window more tolerable than the others right now. And she’s the one who’s not in the search party. 

“I wonder what happened?” Vision asks, dropping his hand from Wanda’s shoulder. A thoughtful expression pulls on his face. Bucky doesn’t know what the being is thinking. But since he's the body of the interwebs he must be thinking of different ways that Tony could have gotten hurt. “What could have caused Tony to be found unconscious?”

“It was most likely his damn fault, anyway.” Wanda sneers, red light filtering to her fingertips. Bucky feels his lips curl into a snarl. He can feel the Soldier trying to push through. But, Barnes keeps the other in check. Much to everyone else’s safety, even if they don’t know it. 

“I did see a horse nearby,” Bucky stated, leaning into a tree with his hand against his hip. His voice lacks any emotion, except for boredom and irritation. Do they not see how much Barnes' annoyed by this? Tony's hurt and he needs medical attention, but here he is dealing with a couple of preschoolers at best. Why did he think that telling them was a good idea? What was he thinking! 

“Bet he got kicked in the head by it.” Wanda snapped her fingers, her red magic still swirling around her hands. Seeing the color makes Bucky see red. Though a darker shade and iron smell added. “Serves him right.” The Witch sneered. 

“Wanda, enough.” Steve snapped, irritation on his face. Bucky let a small smile pull on his lips, but returned to the stock expression before anyone could see. Steve sighed, rubbing his forehead. “A horse kick is not something to be taken lightly.” And for once Bucky can feel the Soldier agreeing with Steve. 

“I did hear about a Wakandain legend of a white horse.” Vision spoke up, though Bucky partly ignored him. He had heard the legend as well, like everyone else. Though, Bucky expected everyone didn’t believe. But, wouldn’t voice it in front of the king. 

“A myth to make children behave.” Wanda placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head. At least the magic is gone from her hands. For now at least. But Bucky and the Soldier will be keeping an eye on her. He wouldn’t be surprised if she’s planning to do something to Tony.

Bucky, for the most part, had stopped caring about what the woman said long ago. But after witnessing what he had...Bucky knew that the horse is not a myth. That horse is real and very dangerous as in the tale. A horse that looks for people who’ve been hurt the most and in pain. It offers them a new pain-free life if they follow it, and then whisks them away. T’challa had said many of his people have fallen victim, never to be seen again. And Bucky understands why the King had told them this legend in particular. He’s trying to warn them, trying to keep them safe.

Sighing as he watches the group argues about something that invaded Tony. Bucky leaned his head against the tree and gazed at the sky. It’s almost night. The orange color of the sunset is almost gone, stars barely begin to peak out from the color. Great, just great. They’ve wasted time standing around and arguing like children. Instead of getting back to civilization. Looks like they’ll be spending a night out in the woods. Bucky turned to call Tony to them.

But his heart dropped to his stomach.

“Where is he?”

“What?” Clint’s voice calls, but Bucky didn’t answer. He’s too busy staring at the space that Tony had once occupied. Where did Stark go? And why didn’t Bucky hear him leaving? Why didn’t Tony say anything?

“Tony! He’s not there anymore!” Bucky knew his voice cracked, panic pooled into his belly as thoughts ran too fast for him to process. The sharp gasps behind him made the situation all the more real.

“Tony where are you?” Steve called out. But, Bucky couldn’t move. He stared at the spot, hoping for Tony to reappear and say he’s fine. Like he had to use the bathroom or something of that nature. Something harmless and no causes for worry. But, no. Oh, no. Bucky’s mind went straight to the horse from earlier. Had it found him and Stark already? How could he be this unwise in keeping Stark in his line of sight? 

“Shit!” Clint cursed, stomping his foot against the ground. He had run up next to Bucky’s side and scanned the trees. Look for any sign of the engineer. He clapped Bucky on the shoulder, hard. But, Barnes didn’t move. He didn’t make a sound. “Where’d he go?” 

“Stark! This game of hide-and-seek of your’s is not funny.” Wanda’s yell didn’t go unheard by Bucky. But the man couldn’t think straight to properly growl at her for making such a comment. All he can think about is how he had lost Stark. 

“Barnes!!” 

The new voice cut through Bucky like a knife slicing a cake. He jumps and spins around to too see the King staring at him in worry. When did T’challa get here? How long has he been here? Why is everything moving so slow? Bucky blinked. He felt so confused and his head is swimming. Panic still coursed through his veins in a maddening heat. And to make a bad situation worse, the soldier is fighting to get out. 

Once the soldier had realized that stark wasn’t there, he started to fight for control. And Bucky is keeping him down. Yes, he understands why the soldier is frantic to surface and begin searching for Stark. The soldier had seen the horse and the fight Barnes had. But, at this moment a Winter Soldier with a one-track mind is not going to help matters. Bucky needs to be in control for now. 

“T’challa?” Steve whispered, approaching the King and Bucky.

“I lost him! I lost Stark!” Bucky cries, panic plaguing the man’s face as he slumped against the tree for support. His legs couldn’t support all the panic and anxiety in his tortured body. The man can feel tears pooling in the corner of his eyes. He failed. He failed to keep Stark safe. 

“Dr. Stark was found near the treeline. He is being escorted back to the palace.” T’challa’s words are a calming wave of relief, that allows Bucky to remember how to breathe. Like giving oxygen to a drowned man. “He had told us where to find the group.” 

Bucky sighs, his body going lax against the tree. He’s grateful that the King’s men had found Stark. At least Barnes knows that the billionaire is safe. But, then the memories of earlier flood back to him. “Stark needs to go to medical.” 

“Has Dr. Stark been injured?” The King questions in a concerned yet authoritative voice. Thought the look in his eyes told Bucky to calm himself first. But, as much as Bucky wished he could calm himself, he just can’t. Not until he can see Tony alive and well with his own eyes. He just can’t bring himself to calm down. 

“Well…” Bucky is at a loss for words. He knows that T’challa won’t find him crazy for telling him the truth. At least he hoped that T’challa wouldn’t. But with the others around, he didn’t know if he should tell. Steve’s already worried about him as it is. He doesn’t want to have a hovering Steve over him. He deals with that enough as it is. Bucky doesn’t know the other members to predict their reactions. So, Barnes had found himself in a stalemate.

Great. Wonderful. Why does this keep happening to him? 

“Stark might have amnesia,” Clint stated, and for once Barnes is thankful to Barton for saving him. At least Clint will say what he knows. It wouldn’t be everything that Bucky knows, but it’ll get them by without making Bucky look crazy. “He didn’t recognize Barnes and me.” 

“I found him unconscious on the forest floor,” Bucky added, running a hand through his disheveled hair. He can hear The Soldier snarling in the back of his head, telling him to tell T’challa what he saw. Oh, he knew that he’ll have a long talk with the soldier about this. 

“I’ll make sure that Dr. Stark is taken to medical.” T’challa nods, “Thank you for telling me.” 

“Of course, Your Highness,” Bucky muttered, bowing his head. 

* * *

It turned out that T’challa knew a fast route out of the forest. And that had saved the group much needed time. When they returned to the palace it was dark, but still in the early evening hours. Bucky had a quick dinner and retreated to his room for a bath. After being in the woods for four days, Bucky feels gross. He's grimy and dirt covers his pale skin is blotchy. His hair is a rats nest and greasy from four days of running, hiding and no bathing. So, a bath is what the doctor ordered. 

Bucky relaxed into the warmth of the water and sighed, enjoying the silence. He had been told that Stark is being evaluated in medical and would most likely stay there for the night. At least he knows that Tony will be safe for the night. At last, he can breathe easy. But there’s a tug at the back of his conscious and he knows what that meant. 

Oh god, damn it, not now. 

_‘One-track mind? You can’t be serious?’_

Bucky let out a snort and grabbed a sponge. He dipped it into the water and watched it bob up to the surface. With a roll of his eyes, Bucky replies. “After everything you’ve seen in the four days or so and this is what you’re going to harp on?” Bucky plucked the sponge back under the water and watched it float to the top again. He had to entertain himself somehow while arguing with the Soldier. 

_‘The Witch. She needs to be watched. She’s up to something.’ The Soldier growled, causing Bucky to brittle in the warm waters. ‘She mustn’t be near Stark.’_

“Ok, I’ll give you that one.” At least He isn’t the only one who does not like the Witch. But up to something? Where did the Soldier get that from? Yes, Bucky knows that she and Stark’s relationship level is beyond the level of ‘we will never be friends’. And yes, he knows that she will attack Stark if she got the chance. But, Bucky doesn’t think she’ll be that brazen. But, he agreed with the Soldier. “I’m not comfortable with her at all. Let alone near Stark.” 

_‘That horse...is a problem.’ The Soldier hums._

“Yeah, no shit.” Bucky grunts, sliding till his shoulders are under the water. Of course, the horse is a problem! With what it had done to Stark in a few minutes, it is a major problem. Any more time with the horse and Stark would probably never be seen again. “I saw what it can do.” 

_‘We saw.’ The soldier growled._

“Right, right.” Bucky nodded, he’s feeling the exhaustion settling in. If he doesn’t hurry with his bath, he thinks he’ll fall asleep in the tub. And the conversation with the Soldier is barely keeping him away. 

_‘The King needs to be told.’_

“Yes, I know. I’ll tell him.” Bucky grumbled. He collected the sponge from the water and watched the water run and fall against his arm and hand in streams. Can he please take a bath in peace? He’d like to tell the T’challa what he knows and then crawl under the warm blankets of his bed and sleep. 

_‘Good.’ The soldier hums, seeming to be pleased with what has transpired between him and Bucky. ‘Clean up, you stink.’_

“Ass.” 

Once the bath was finished, Bucky drained the water and dressed. He went to his bedroom door and opened it. Stepping into the hall, the war veteran glanced around. He’s searching for someone in particular. He knows that she should be on her last patrol of the hall before standing guard of the King. Bucky walked to a window and looked at the lush garden below. The air is crisp and cool, which is welcome. 

“Beautiful isn’t it.” 

Bucky turned around and met face to face with Okoye. The person he was looking for. The man nodded and smiled. In his time here, Bucky had gotten rather close to some of the members of the royal family. T’challa’s sister, Shuri, and he were basically best friends. He was, after all, Shuri’s ‘Broken White Boy’ and she took pride in that. He’s friendly with the King as well. And he’s comfortable around Okoye to tell her if he needed the King’s or Shuri’s help. 

“It is.” Bucky hums, but turns to Okoye and says, “Can you tell the King to come to my chamber.” 

“Is something wrong, White Wolf?” Okoye asks, a brow raised. 

“I remembered something that has to do with Stark’s condition,” Bucky says and he watches as the woman’s posture straightened. 

“I’ll inform the King, immediately,” Okoye said, turning and matching straight to the throne room. Bucky watched her leave. Once gone, he turned his head to the garden again and allowed himself to feel the cool breeze through his hair. 

“Thank you.” 

Bucky returned to his room and sat on his bed. He waited for T’challa to arrive. Bucky could feel the Soldier in the back of his mind but wasn’t paying attention. He's lost in his own thoughts. What if the horse comes near the palace of the area around? Are other Wakandans safe? Is Tony safe? Is Wanda going to hurt Tony? Can he trust anyone from the rouges? Oh, god is Tony going to be safe? Is he going to be ok? So many questions and concerns rolled about in his head that it drowned out the Soldier trying to reach him. 

The sound of his bedchamber door opening startled Barnes’ from his thoughts. He looked up and greeted the King with a curt nod, who returned the gesture. He noted Okoye and another guard in the corners of his room. 

“You remembered something about Stark’s condition?” T’challa asks and Bucky nods. This is going to be a long time. For all them. 

“You’ll want to sit down for this.” 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and T'challa have an important talk.  
> Then Winter acts like well...Winter.

“A white horse?”   
  
Bucky nodded. The man sat on the edge of his bed as the King sits in a chair in front of him. Okoye and another guard stood on each side of the King. Bucky realized how small he felt compared to the three Wakandans. But for now, he’ll push that to the back of his mind. He needed to tell T’challa everything he saw with the horse and Stark. Hopefully Stark will be safe. Bucky could only hope.   
  
“Yes.” Bucky fiddled with his Wakandan night clothing with his hand. The man is nervous about telling the king. He doesn’t want to be seen as crazy. Thought, with everything he’s been through for the seventy-plus years. A sharp nudge from the Soldier reminds Bucky of what he’s supposed to be doing. “I had seen Stark talking to it.”   
  
Bucky gulped and allowed himself to take a breath. The ex-soldier wasn’t expecting this conversation to be difficult. But, Bucky isn’t one to make conversations nowadays. Not after the train and everything Hydra had done. Bucky can feel the Soldier trying to take over but pushes him back. He gives a reassuring tap to the other— their way of saying that the other is ok with something. He feels the Soldier back off, but not relax.   
  
“Sorry about that.” Bucky coughed, gesturing to his head. “Had to deal with something real quick.”   
  
“It’s fine. Continue, White Wolf.” T’challa nodded, getting the hint of what Bucky meant. This helped in cutting explanations down, much to Bucky’s relief. Few knew that Bucky and the Winter Soldier had come to an understanding. They are on mutual terms and don’t bother each other unless necessary. Unless the Soldier is bored. Then it's an annoying Bucky hour.   
  
Bucky hates ‘Annoying Bucky Hour’, Soldier though? He loves it.   
  
“I knew the horse was bad. Something someone shouldn’t be near at all costs. And I....attacked it.” Bucky sagged his shoulders. He doesn’t like attacking innocents. Whether it’s people or animals, he doesn’t like it. The only thing saving him from guilt is the fact that he knew what the horse can do. “Stark had gotten hit head during a scuffle. The horse fled after he fell unconscious.”   
  
Bucky watched as T’challa nodded. Though, there’s something in the King’s eye that the man can’t understand. Is the King upset? Bucky couldn’t tell, he knows that T’challa is very well trained in hiding his emotions when necessary. Much like his royal court is. Maybe Shuri’s upset? If she is, then that may explain the look in T’challa’s eyes. The two siblings are very close. At least from what Shuri has told him.   
  
“White Wolf,” T’challa’s voice is low and pulls Bucky from his thoughts. He looks at the man with a questionable expression. “Why did you run away?” 

Bucky widened his eyes at the King’s question. Runaway? He didn’t run away! He would never run away. Wakanda was the one place he felt safe. Felt secure that Hydra wouldn’t find him. Shuri had even removed his trigger words and he’s very grateful for. He and the Soldier. 

Of course, Bucky had heard the rumor that everyone believed he had runoff. Clint isn’t known for keeping his mouth shut. Bucky has rolled his eyes at first. The thing was a harmless prank Shuri had done. It wasn’t the first time she’d done something like this to him. But, if the King believed it, then it isn’t a prank from Shuri. 

“I wasn’t running away! I was chasing after two kids!” Bucky explained, shooting to his feet. He didn’t know who had started this rumor, but he’ll have to have a nice chat with them soon. The guards shifted, but T’challa didn’t move. Bucky is glad the King knows that he can get a bit emotional when talking. Sometimes jumping to his feet and pacing when he couldn’t sit still. Feeling the sharp nudge from the Solder again, Bucky sat down and continued. “I saw a pair of children walk into the forest a few days ago. There was a third telling them not to go, but they didn’t listen. So, I went after them. I saw them near the horse, like Stark.” 

“The same one Stark was talking too?” 

“Yes!” Bucky answered the King’s question with a nod. The man’s breath hitched as he told this next part. “The kids were talking to it like Stark was. Then they climbed onto it’s back and the horse had taken off. I tried to run after them, but the horse outran me. Only then did I realize I was lost.” 

T’challa placed his chin in his hand, going over the information that he had been given. “This is most concerning. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.” Bucky lowered his head, guilt weighing the man down. He couldn’t save those kids. And had barely managed to save Stark. Though he wasn’t fast enough to get to Tony in time. He didn’t see T’challa whisper something to Okoye. 

“Understood, My King.” The woman said, Bucky had lifted his head and caught a glimpse of the Okoye leaving. Bucky sighed and let his head fall again. The fact he had failed has come crushing him like a boulder against a twig. He didn’t even hide the wet sniffle. 

“I’m sorry,” Bucky mumbled, blinking so that tears didn't slip from his eyes. 

“What?” The King’s voice is confused but soft. Which Bucky is grateful for, the one-armed man is not in the best emotional state. He’s feeling very drained and one small thing could set the man down on an emotional roller-coaster. Bucky doesn’t think he has the energy to deal with such a thing. 

“I’m sorry…”

Bucky felt his cheeks become wet. The man raises his arm, his flesh fingers wiping the warm fluid from his face. “I couldn’t save the kids. I tried, I did. But, I couldn’t run fast enough.” Bucky lifts his head, wiping the tears again. At least he isn’t sobs like a baby. 

“Barnes, do not blame yourself for trying.” T’challa’s voice is soft, yet firm. Bucky allows the King to pull him into a comforting hug, his body going limp. His face pressed against the other’s shoulder to hide. His tears dampened the King’s clothing. Since T’challa had pulled him into a hug, he most likely doesn’t care about tears staining his clothes. The younger man even cards his fingers through Bucky’s hair, much like Shuri does when she plays with it. “You did what you could.” 

They stayed like this for what seemed like hours. T’challa holding his royal family's precious White Wolf. Holding Wakanda’s precious White Wolf. Once Bucky had calmed and composed himself, he lefts off of the younger man and takes a shaky breath. The king doesn’t move from his position. As if he’s waiting for Bucky to curl back into the comforting warmth and security.

But as much as the King wishes to provide comfort to the stressed man, there’s something he must ask of Barnes. 

“Now I must ask this important favor of you.” T’challa’s voice turned authority— kingly— and yet gentle. Bucky shoots his head up wondering what the King has to ask. He also wondered how he’s able to do that so easily, for someone so young. “If what you said is true, then Dr. Stark is in grave danger.” 

“Danger?” Bucky snapped his head up, worried etched into his face. The Soldier’s presence awoken at the King’s words. Bucky has taken note that the Soldier had been quiet when he and the King had been talking. “As in, more than what he was already in?” 

“The white horse with the Cyan flowers erases the memories of those who have talked with it. Once it has done that, it’ll steal them away. Never to be seen again. If Dr. Stark is one of those who’ve talked with the horse, then it’ll stalk him until it can take him away.” Bucky felt his stomach churn and twist. His insides felt like they’ve twisted themselves into knots. And the Soldier’s emotions of anger and violence are not helping the situation either. Great, a horse is stalking Tony now. Just what Bucky needed to add to his list of issues. “I need you to guard Dr. Stark until summer. Can you do that?”

“Why until the summer, though?” Bucky tilted his head. He hasn’t heard all the tale of the White Horse, as much as he’d hate to admit. But, it seemed the others would scoff at the thought of reading about Wakanda’s history. Or at least the myths and legends. 

Bucky didn’t see anything wrong with reading and learning about the culture. But with how the ex-avengers act...Bucky didn’t research in front of them. Steve listens to Bucky babble on and on about what he’s learned, but Bucky can tell Steve wasn’t paying attention. Bucky did not like Wanda at all, so he didn’t care about what she thought. It’s hard to read Natasha, Widows were trained to be unreadable. Bucky had no idea about Clint. The archer is a strange one. Though, Sam and Scott didn’t seem to mind Bucky researching. They’ve even asked a couple of questions once in a while. To Bucky, those two seem to respect what others do. Or they just keep their thoughts to themselves. A thought crossed Bucky’s mind, would Stark be interested in Wakanda’s history? 

_‘Focus, the King is trying to talk to you.’ The Soldier growled, giving Bucky a sharp pull on his consciousness._

Bucky shook his head and regained his focus. He can see the King raised a brow in a silent question. The man let a sheepish smile pull on his lips. “Sorry, I’m rather tired. Trying not to fall asleep.” 

_‘Stupid.’ Soldier grunted. ‘Terrible liar.’_

T’challa nodded and continued; “As the tale says, the horse can only take people during the months of Spring. Once Spring has ended, the horse will disappear back to the forest and forget those it tried to take.” T'challa sighs, a grave expression pulls on his face. Bucky doesn’t like it and the Soldier is very uneased. “Dr. Stark needs to be protected. The horse will stop at nothing to get who it has set sights on.” 

“Why me?” Bucky asks, wondering why he seems to always get dealt a bad hand. 

“It’ll be wary of you since you’ve attacked it,” T’challa said, making Bucky title his head in wonder. The horse is wary of him? That’s a very strange thing to be told. But, in a way, Bucky can understand why. He had come out of the forest charging like a tank and screaming like a banshee. Though the horse had seen him before, Bucky doubted the creature expected him to pop out of nowhere as he had. So, logically the horse stays away from those who’ve attacked it.

“You’re saying that since I attacked it, I’ve proven myself to be dangerous?” Bucky questioned. It sounded unbelievable, almost unreal that the horse would see him as a threat. But, Spring in Wakanda does seem to go by fast. At least that’s what he’s been told. So, maybe the horse would rather spend its time gathering as many people as possible. Fighting would be a waste of energy and time. 

“Yes.” The King nodded, confirming what Bucky had thought. 

“I’ll do it,” Bucky stated. 

“Thank you, I’m grateful you’ve accepted.” T’challa smiled, his tense posture relaxed and the guard seemed to relax as well. Also, like they hoped for Bucky to say he’d offer his help. “Please get some rest.” 

Bucky nodded and watched the King and guard leave his room. Sighing, Bucky stood up and walked to the closet. Opening the door, the man moves hanging clothing around. He grasped a very large metal rectangular case. Dragging the case out, Bucky tosses it on the bed. The force caused the case to bounce twice before settling. Bucky turned to the closest again and crouched. He moves a pile of clothes and uncovers the beer bottles he had been given. A gift from the King himself. Bucky had hidden them from the others. No way is he sharing! 

Bucky picks one up, lifts himself and closes the closet door. The beer wouldn’t get him drunk, but it would help him relax a bit. After everything that’s happened, he needed a drink. Even the Soldier agreed with him. The Soldier would grumble about consuming alcohol and how it would affect them. Though both knew the effect part was bullshit. The Soldier just wanted to complain about something. 

“What the hell did I get myself into too?” Bucky mumbles to himself, popping the beer open and taking a swig. He sits down on the edge of his bed and looks at the case to drag out. He sighs, sets the beer down and flicks the case locks open. 

_‘A mess.’ The Soldier droned. ‘A big mess. Thanks’_

“You’re most welcome.” Bucky snorted, a smile pulling on his lips as he felt the annoyance the Soldier gave off. Not his fault life says ‘fuck you’ to Bucky lately. Bucky opens the case and stares at the contents. He rifled through a few pieces of paper and sighed. He set one scrape down and picked up another, flipped both sides and set it down. He repeated this for three more pieces before the Soldier cut into his mind again. 

_‘It would be best if you slept.’ The Soldier hummed. ‘It’s late and I’m sure the King will have you start you’re guarding first thing in the morning.’_

Bucky grunted, but he can’t argue with the Soldier’s logic. It’s more than true that the King will want Bucky to start protecting Stark as soon as possible. Bucky sighed and snapped the case shut. He doesn’t feel like walking to the closest again, so he stuffs the thing under his bed. He grabs the forgotten beer and downs the rest in a few large gulps. 

Tossing the empty bottle into the trash can next to his bed, Bucky lays back and groans. Even though he wants to sleep, he can’t. He’s so tired that he can fall asleep, but he can’t. So the best he does is lay there.

“Don’t think sleep will come easy tonight.” Bucky snorted, he wasn’t expecting himself to sleep. Not with this new threat over their head. 

_‘Then switch.’ The Soldier grunts, trying to tug Bucky out of the driver seat. ‘I’ll tire us out.’_

“No need to do that. If anything, that’ll make it even harder for me to sleep.” Bucky replies, batting the Soldier away. Though Bucky did slide his hand to where the metal arm used to be. He gripped the shoulder gently. His way of giving the Soldier comfort when they’re alone “And from what I remember you took at least a good seven-hour nap.” 

_‘I rested while you were being an idiot out in the woods.’ The Soldier snorted. ‘One of us needs to be ready, wake, and well-rested.’ The last part was empathizing with a pulse of annoyance._

“Enough.” Bucky snorted. Now the Soldier was starting to act like a child. Bucky wasn’t in the mood to deal with a Winter Soldier temper tantrum.

Bucky sighed and slipped under the covers. He knew that getting to sleep wasn’t going to be easy. With a firm mattress, soft sheets, and a thick blanket, Bucky found his eyelids becoming heavy. A yawn escaping his lips. 

_‘May I give a suggestion?’ Soldier hummed quickly._

“All ears.” 

_‘Have Stark bunk with us.’ Soldier chirps, causing Bucky’s eyes to widen and the man’s head to shoot off the pillow. ‘It’ll be easier for us to keep an eye on him.’_

“Sounds good on paper…” Bucky’s head fell to the pillow again. He has to agree that it did sound good to have Tony bunk with him. But the Soldier has seemed to have forgotten a few hurdles. “But, you’re missing some major pieces to that puzzle.” 

_‘And those would be?’ Soldier huffed._

“One, Tony likes his space. Two, we— er I— still have nightmares. The last thing I want is for Tony to be harmed while with me. Let alone by me.” Bucky was supposed to guard Tony. Harming the man would be doing the opposite of what the King had asked. Bucky, also wouldn’t take to harming Stark very well. He already had a crying party and he’s still very emotionally unstable. “And...our room is close to them. I don’t want Tony near them, especially the Witch.” 

_‘Damn it.’ The Soldier hissed, ‘Forgot about them.’_

“We’ll think of something.” Bucky yawned, curling himself into a ball and burying his face into the pillow. “Let’s try to get some sleep.” 

The last thing Bucky heard before slipping into sleep was the Soldier's pleased hum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Winter stop being a pain in the butt, Bucky is trying his best.   
> Comments and Kudos are appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky wakes up and has a chat with T'challa.  
> He then makes his way to Tony.

Knocks came in rapid intervals on Bucky’s door. The man grumbled and covered his head with the blanket. He didn’t know why someone was knocking at his door, but Bucky didn’t want to leave the comfort of his bed. The knocking soon woke up the Soldier from his sleep. Bucky can feel his body filling with the other’s irritation. Not wanting to have to deal with a grumpy Soldier on his hand, Bucky sighs pulls the blanket from his hand and calls out. 

“Who’s there?” 

The knocking stopped and Bucky sat up in his bed, his expression confused with a hint of annoyance. The Soldier growled in the back of his mind at the response or lack thereof. But, Bucky hushed the Soldier and waited. 

“Sergeant Barnes, the King has requested your presence.”

Hearing the voice of a guard, Bucky flung the blanket off and slipped from his bed. No his legs were not entangled in the blankets making him fall, stop saying that Soldier. He stepped to a nearby dresser and opened one of the drawers. He tossed a shirt into the bed and then a pair of pants. All while saying; “Ok, ok. Let me get dressed.” Bucky found a belt and added it to the pile on his bed. 

But, he stopped when his bladder screamed to be relieved. He cursed himself for drinking that beer now. Of course, his system would have processed the liquid by morning. He stepped into the bathroom and did his business. Once freshened up, he continued his previous task. Bucky slipped the dark blue jeans on and slipped the reddish-plum color shirt over his head and torso. Looking into the mirror, Bucky snorted. He looked like he did back when he was in Romania. Missing the black undershirt and jacket.

“Ready,” Bucky called as he opened his bedroom door, greeting the stock face of a female guard. The man didn’t stay in the palace often, but Shuri— and the Queen Mother— had insisted he has a room there. Just in case the ex-soldier needed time away from the farm, the Rogues' Villa or from the Rogues’ themselves. 

The royal family had welcomed Bucky like he was one of their own. And in a sense he is. Shuri calls him her ‘Broken White Boy’ and the Queen Mother and many of the royal members call him ‘White Wolf’. And random children of Wakanda are very interested in him. And very welcoming. They love to play ‘Wolf Chase’, a game where Bucky would chase the kids around his farm. Mostly cause one of them had ‘borrowed’ a framing tool of his. 

The guard nodded and started to lead Bucky. The man didn’t ask where they were going, he’s too busy noting the tension in the air. Guards are posted more in the hall than normal. Or was it normal? To Bucky at least, it’s more than what he’d call normal. Every window has at least one guard looking out of it, some had two. As he walked, Bucky nudged the Soldier, who responded by doing the same.

 _‘What?’ The soldier asks._

‘You noticed how many guards are out.’ Bucky states through their mental connection. It’s not a question. 

_‘Yes.’ The Soldier hums, ‘They're on edge. Like they are ready to fight at a moment's notice. What are they’re mission parameters?’_

‘Don’t know. Wasn’t told.’ Bucky sighs. He wasn’t going to ask, either. ‘But, I have a feeling I know why.’ 

_‘Can’t put it past them. Heads up you’re at the young child’s lab.’ The Soldier fell silent._

Bucky blinks and confirms that the Soldier is correct. He’s been there a few times since arriving in Wakanda, for his treatments. And when he had gone under the ice. Bucky looks around, amazed at the advanced technology. Even with the amount of time, he’s been in the labs, the tech still amazes him. Bucky spotted T’challa next to his sister, Shuri. Both were looking at several holographic scenes. Though Bucky couldn’t see what was on them. Once they were close the guard cleared her throat, gaining the attention of the two siblings. 

“It’s good to see you awake, Sergeant,” T’challa said after turning to the guard and crossing his arms. The guard did the same and with a nod left. Bucky noted the tense posture the young King has, but he doesn’t say a word. Shuri rolled his eyes and turned her attention back to the screens in front of her. Bucky can tell by the way her brows knitted together that she’s concentrating on the screens.

“It’s Bucky, You’re Highness.” Bucky hummed. He saw no reason to be called Sergeant by those who have helped him so much. Much more than he could ask for. Much more than he deserved. 

“Heard you’re watching over Dr. Stark.” Shuri slid next to her brother. Her body is tense and rigged, something that Bucky has rarely seen in the child. But, if she’s feeling tense then something has her greatly bothered. Bucky saw something in her eyes that he wasn’t expecting. She looked so...hopeful. Like bucky’s the only one she’d trust to look after Stark. Seeing those young, intelligent yet innocent brown eyes, Bucky felt his heart-melting. He studied her eyes for a moment and thanks to his training, saw what they were asking. Shuri was begging, begging for him to say yes. 

“Yes.” Bucky nods, smiling when Shuri relaxed. If someone looked close enough, they would think Shuri would cry from relief. Her brother even looked more relaxed from when Bucky had entered. Bucky knows that the Princess is not the biggest fan of the Rogues. Though, he doesn’t know the exact reason why. But if he had to guess from her actions and banning a few from her lab, she’s been more than a little annoyed. 

“Shuri knows of Stark’s condition,” T’challa said, gesturing to his sister, who nodded. “And what you’ve told me from last night.” 

“Guards and warriors have been alerted,” Shuri said, swiping through floating green screens. “Civilizations have been noticed as well.” 

“Isn’t getting the whole place...un...country involved a bit much?” Bucky didn’t know how many know. It could be the area surrounding that palace or the whole country. As far as Bucky can tell the guards know. His walk here is proof of this. Now the man wonders how many more guards are not around. Would he and Tony be escorted everywhere they go? 

“You’ve only seen a small amount of what this horse can do.” T’challa starts, looking over his sister’s shoulder. From the grimace on his face, Bucky has a feeling the King is looking at something that is not pleasing. Bucky would ask what the two are looking at, but his gut is telling him to keep his trap shut. So, he’ll follow it. T’challa turns back to Bucky and says, “We must stay vigilant at all times. We can not risk endangering or losing another to the horse.” 

“Right.” Bucky nods. His stomach churns at the thought of what the small floating screen has displayed. Maybe another person has gone missing or was taken. Bucky didn’t want to think about that, his stomach making clear protests. Bucky sighed and ran a hand over his face, all this stress is starting to get to him. Maybe he isn't the one to guard Stark. But, he isn’t backing down now. Not after promising Shuri. “Un...Where’s—”

“Dr. Stark is in the royal gardens. A guard will take you to him.” Shuri cut Bucky off, walking to a table and looking at a very large blue paper. Bucky didn’t reply to her but shrugged. Why was Stark out of medical so soon? Bucky expected the other would be there for a while. T’challa had let him be released? He looked at T’challa and the King shrugged as well, looking confused. Guess T’challa didn’t know about Stark leaving medical. 

“I suggest going. I’ve heard that Dr. Stark has been asking for you for some time now.” T’challa hummed, nodding to the guard that had appeared next to Bucky’s side. The one-armed man jumped back a bit and T’challa chuckled a bit. The guard appears to be a man on the younger side. Though to him, everyone is on the younger side. With a nod, Bucky and the guard left. 

Bucky sighed once he felt fresh air against his skin. He is starting to regret his clothing choice now. He’s more used to colder climates and Wakanda is the opposite. So while his choice in clothing works great of places like Romania and the sort, for Wakanda it’s not so great. Sweat is already starting to build up under his arms. Everything was going fine, but then Bucky and the Garud had run into a snag. 

A Roger’s size snag.

“Bucky!” Steve explained, Running up to the two men. “I’ve been looking for you! We've been briefed about the place going on high alert for something. You know what’s going on?” 

“I apologize, Caption. But, you can not ask Sargent Barnes for that information.” The guard huffed, eyeing the man. “It’s strictly between The Sargent, The King, and The Dora Milaje.” 

Steve went to open his mouth, but Bucky cut the man off before he could say anything. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with any of the Rogues, let alone Steve. And he came up with an excuse that’ll keep him away from Steve for a while. “Steve, please. I have an important meeting and I need to go. I promise everything’s fine.” 

“But, Bucky—” 

“Steve, stop!” Bucky barked. He didn’t mean to snap at his friend, but the heat is starting to get to him and the Soldier is growling. He doesn’t want to deal with Steve and his shit right now. “Everything’s fine. Now, stop babying me. It’s annoying.” 

“Bucky I’m not—” 

Bucky growled making Steve backed off. The Guard stepped between the man and other Caption, glaring Steve down. “I suggest leaving, for now, Caption.” 

Steve glanced between the guard and Bucky as if contemplating on what he should do. Bucky pushed the Soldier from taking over and beating Rogers into the ground. He didn’t want any violence today. Soon Steve spoke, “Fine, but please visit the Villa. Everyone’s worried.” and with that, Steve left. 

The ‘about you’ was left unsaid. Like hell, they’ll be worried about Stark. The guard turned to Bucky and gave an apologetic smile, which Bucky had returned and said. 

“Let’s get going.” 

And this is how Bucky found himself leaning against a pillar in the palace. Just in front of the doors enclosing the palace garden. Bucky raised the glass of water to his lips and gulped the cooling liquid into his starved body. While Bucky swiped his lips, a servant refilled his glass. How many pitchers has he had now? Three? Four? He’d lost count. But those in the palace didn’t mind, many newcomers were known for drinking several pitchers of water a day. Bucky was just another name on the list. He let his frustration about Rogers die down to a simmer before seeing Tony.

“He is in here.” The guard said, opening the door and revealing the beautiful garden. Bucky blinked and turned his head around slowly. The trees are thick and lushes, flowers full of many colors are in full bloom. The air is crisp but slightly humid. The guard nudged Bucky against his shoulder and nodded in the direction in front of them. Bucky looked and found a sight that he found rather cute. 

Tony is sitting against a tree with something in his lap. Bucky couldn’t make out what Stark was wearing, but it’s white. Next to Tony sat the Queen Mother, Ramonda, the mother of T’challa and Shuri. The tree branches seem to be curling around the two, almost cradling them in their green leaves. Bucky watched as Tony turned his head to the royal woman. He seemed to have asked her something, cause she had nodded. Tony picked up what was in his lap and stood, then ran off into the closest flower bed. Hearing the guard chuckle, Bucky turned his head and cocked it to the side. A confused expression on his face. The guard didn’t say anything but stirred the man into following him. 

Bucky followed and watched the Queen as she was watching Tony. Looking at the flower bed Tony is in, the man tilted his head and saw that Tony is wearing Wakandan clothing. Tony’s clothing is like the one Bucky wears, but it’s white. And he’s looking at the back, so he doesn’t know what the front looked like. 

“There you are, White Wolf.” The Queen hummed, standing in one fluid motion. The Queen Mother had on a beautiful black dress, adorned with glittering jewels of gold. Bucky had only met the Queen Mother twice and she still made him a bit nervous. She even made the Soldier wary. “Tony has been wondering where you’ve been.” Her voice is as smooth as silk. 

“I had to speak with your son,” Bucky Informed her, moving his flesh hand to the back of his neck. A trick he’s picked up when nervous. He knows that he shouldn’t be nervous around T’challa’s Mother. But with her being so high rank in royalty...he can’t help himself. Though most of his composure is calm, his voice is strong and steady. But, if one looked hard enough they could see the slight indications. The hand on the neck and one knee is higher than the other. If one is not accustomed to Bucky’s nervous ticks they could miss this. 

“I see. My son has briefed you then?” The Queen asks, tilting her head in a particular way. She’s eyeing him and Bucky knows this. Maybe he’s not as subtle as he thought. From the two times he’s met Her, Bucky has noted that she is very keen on her eyes. It’s like he’s a book she can easily read. Though she doesn’t seem to acknowledge that he’s nervous. She's trained in ignoring awkward situations. 

“He and Shuri told me that the place is on high alert,” Bucky says, he watches as the Queen nods. Seeming to be pleased with his answer. Though there’s one thing that has been bugging him. “Is the whole country on alert? I wasn’t given a direct answer.” 

“Yes.” The Queen smiled sadly. Well, at least he got his answer. This must be a very bad situation if the whole country has been alerted. “Have you had breakfast?” 

“No, I haven’t.” Bucky sighs, he wasn’t feeling too hungry. The run-in with Steve had dwindled Bucky’s appetite. Ever since Tony had gotten here, Bucky has noticed how Steve has become pushier. More protective of him. It’s annoying and almost smothering. Stark is the one that needs protecting, not him! “It’s not—” 

Bucky’s stomach cut him off with a loud grumble. 

“I’ll have someone bring you and Tony something for breakfast.” The Queen says, an amused smile on her lips. A face that said ‘Not on my watch, dear.’ so that’s where Shuri gets those looks from. Bucky nodded, he should have known that she’ll not let her White Wolf go without breakfast. Or eating for that matter. With him being a super soldier, Bucky has to eat quite a bit with his enhanced mobilization. “He likes to be called ‘Tony’ more than ‘Dr. Stark’.” 

“Thank you. I’m very grateful.” Bucky bowed his head. He can hear the Queen chuckling. 

“There’s no need to thank me.” She says, pulling the man into a hug. Bucky blinked and awkwardly returned it. Though, should he have returned it? From the Guard's expression, it seemed he’s doing a good thing. Well, he hoped it was a good thing. A smiling guard is a good thing, right? 

“Hey, Bucky! Over here!” 

Bucky lifted his head and saw Tony waving him over. The queen lets him go and turns to the smaller man. She gently chuckled at how enthusiastic Tony is. Bucky didn’t know what had Tony so excited, but the man is very happy to see Bucky. The one-armed man saw the front of Tony’s clothing. And it’s the same as the one he wears but in different shades of white. But, he didn’t have a cloth-like Bucky has. Bucky looked and noticed Tony cradling something in one of his arms. 

“He wants to show you something. Been working on it all morning.” The Queen says, and Bucky tilted his head. Did Tony make something for him? Tony had only known him for less than a day and he made him something? The Queen nods, then the sound of the door creaking open and another guard calling for the Queen. Queen sighs and turns to the door. “I have to go now. Have a good day, White Wolf.” 

And with that, she left. Bucky turned his attention to Tony and saw the smaller man walking up to him. He started to walk to the other, but the guard tapped his shoulder

“White Wolf, I have a few words for you.” The guard said and Bucky tilted his head, an eyebrow raised. 

“Yes?” He asks, turning his attention to the man who is speaking with him. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see that Tony had stopped. 

“If you ever feel uncomfortable being alone with Mr. Stark, please let someone know.” The guard said and Bucky nodded. He didn’t get why the guard had told him this, but it’s advice and he’ll not brush it off as some would. 

“Of course,” Bucky said. 

“And if you feel like you’re being watched, let one of the Dora Milaje know.” The guard said. And Bucky noted how rigged the man had gotten. “And if you see that horse, tell someone intimately. Make a scene if you must. But, get attention to it.” 

“May I ask something?” Bucky blinks, there’s something he didn’t get. Something the guard said had him confused. 

“Yes?” The guard questions. 

“Why make a scene? Wouldn’t it be easier to not alert everyone to the horse’s presence?” Bucky asks confused, his hand gently scratching the side of his head. 

“The horse does not like attention, it’ll flee once it realizes that many people have seen it.” The guard explained. And Bucky hummed. Since he hasn’t fully read about the horse legend, he couldn’t confirm or dined what the guard said is true or not. 

“Ok. Thank you.” Bucky nodded. 

The guard nodded, then took a place next to the door of the garden. Bucky turned to Tony who is now next to his side. 

“I heard you have something to show me?” 

The man had a wide smile on his lips. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bucky just wants to have a relaxing day. Is that too much to ask?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky makes it to Tony and they have breakfast.  
> And again, the Soldier is being a little pain in the ass again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this took so long. Been having a bit of difficulty with motivation lately.

“How long have you been up?”   
  
Bucky leaned against the base of the tree and relaxed. The man kept his eyes trained on the smaller man but allowed them to be half-lidded. It’s rare for Bucky to fully relax in general, but with all the information that he had received, it’s even harder. It doesn’t help that the Soldier is calculating escapes, weapons, threats, and what not when it's awake. Or he? Bucky hasn’t spoken with the Soldier about pronouns. Or anything for that matter.   
  
“Not sure.” Tony plopped himself next to Bucky and shrugged. He didn’t know what time he woke up in the medical bay. But the moment he woke up, he knew that he didn’t want to be there. “But, I tried to sneak out of the medical bay.”   
  
“What? Why?” Bucky straightened his back and looked at the other with disbelief. Why would someone who is injured leave medical? Bucky has heard tales of Stark neglecting his wounds before. But the man thought those were exaggerations the others told. Or complete lies. Guess those were true.   
  
“Can’t stand being in one place and doing nothing. It drives me crazy.” Tony shrugged his shoulders again like this isn’t anything new. He didn’t get why Bucky seemed very concerned about it? Tony has always skipped going to medical, even those people knew. He may not remember who Clint and Steve are. But for some reason, he knows that they know about him and his history with medicine. Can’t keep a genius locked up and not expect them to do one of two things; get out or go crazy. And Stark would be damned if he goes crazy. And besides, med bays bring back some...unpleasant memories.  
  
“But you were injured!” Bucky exclaimed, his arm gesturing wildly in the air. He had forgone the vibranium arm today. “It is not wise to leave medical without knowing the severity of your injuries.”   
  
“You sound like Rhodey and Pepper,” Tony grumbled, a pout pulling on his face. Bucky had the urge to pull the smaller man back to medical and have him checked over. But, the soothing presence of the Soldier calmed Bucky enough to not up and drag Stark. Tony shrugged and said, “Besides, the lady said she’ll watch me until you woke up.”   
  
“I see.” Bucky nodded. So Ramonda had found Stark trying to get out and offered to watch him until Bucky had gotten up. This helped put the man at ease. Ramonda would not allow anything to happen Tony. 

Bucky sighs and leans into the tree again. The warm air is nice against any of his skin that is exposed. The man can feel himself beginning to drift into sleep. The Soldier has fallen into a calming state, a state Bucky calls ‘Post Cryo Hibernation’. There are times when Bucky had gotten out of Cryo, the Soldier would still be hibernating. Sometimes, he would take a few weeks to wake up. This is why his handlers would use the chair. Not only did it whip his memories, it always woke the Soldier up quicker. Though, Bucky didn’t know if his handlers knew about the chair waking the Soldier.   
  
“When did you wake up?” 

Stark’s question pulled Bucky from those thoughts and back to the present. Blinking, the man sits up and turns his gaze to the smaller man next to him. Tony had a flower crown in his hair. The petals are white and appear to be some kind of Daisy. Where did that come from? Is Bucky this disconnected after he wakes up in the morning? Even with the briefing with T’challa and his sister and running into Steve, Bucky is still very tired. 

“Not that long ago. I tend to sleep until nine.” Bucky hums, pulling his arm up and over his head in a stretch. 

“Sometimes I can’t sleep, no matter what I do,” Tony says, leaning into the trunk for the massive tree. Bucky nods, he knows what it’s like to not get any sleep and it’s very frustrating. It doesn’t help that Bucky has a whole other personality or something close to that within him. The Soldier can be fully rested while Bucky can be fully tired and walking dead on his feet. This can sometimes lead to their shared body not getting enough sleep or time to relax. At least The Soldier is good at letting the body rest when needed. 

“I know the feeling,” Bucky says, feeling the Soldier’s pressure against the back of his mind. The other is watching—listening in on his and Tony’s conversation. But the Soldier doesn’t seem to feel interested in joining, observing. It’s one of those rare calm moments that the Soldier lets himself have. Bucky hums and slips out; “Sometimes I just lay in my bed and listen to the night sounds.”

“I’ve tried that before. Doesn’t work for me.” Tony shakes his head. 

Bucky hums and nods. There are times when lying down doesn’t help him either. So he can understand why it may work at times. What else does he do that may help Stark sleep? Bucky rattled his head for anything that he does that may help the other man. But he couldn’t think of anything. Candles? Would lighting candles that are scented help? Would incense help? Those have helped Bucky relax once in a while. 

_‘ASMR.’_

Bucky blinked, an eyebrow raised slightly. ‘ASMR? Would he even be interested in that?’ 

_‘Can’t hurt to ask.’ The Soldier hummed. ‘I know you watch those soap cutting ones. well, at least you listen to them. Not sure if you watch them actually.’_

‘And what of you? I know you listen to those Kinetic Sand Cutting ones. Hey, you listening? Hey?!’ Bucky poked the Soldier, the other didn’t respond. He set himself in his little and ignored him. Bucky knew this. There’s no point in trying to get the Soldier to respond. 

_‘Still need to come up with a name for you. ‘Soldier’ doesn’t seem that fitting of a name.’ Bucky mentally huffed at the other._

‘We’ll talk about it later.’

“Hey, you ok?” Tony waved his hand in Bucky’s eyes and the man blinked back to reality. A blush lit Bucky’s checks red like the red lights one would use during the Christmas season. Or holiday season, whichever the saying is nowadays.

“I’m fine.” Bucky stammered, the embarrassment full in his voice. “I sometimes have a habit of letting my mind wander and dissociating from where I’m at.”

Tony nodded and leaned against the tree again. Bucky hoped the man understood what he was saying, he didn’t want to sound crazy. But, Stark is smart. Very smart. So he should understand. At least that’s what Bucky hoped. There’s a nudge against his conscience and Bucky knows what the Soldier is getting impatient and why. So, I might as well ask.

“Have you tried listening to ASMR videos? Those work for me once in a while. They may help you.” Bucky asks, the Soldier gives a pleased purr. At this, the smaller man perks his head up.

“I could try.” Tony titled his head and hummed. The man hasn't thought about using ASMR to help him sleep. He didn’t ever know ASMR existed. Mostly because when he couldn’t sleep, Tony would go down to his workshop and have an invent binge. “What kind do you listen to?”

“Soap Cutting and Crushing.” Bucky chirps. The man has used those videos to help him sleep. It’s also good at blocking out the Rouges when they start to become annoying. Which they are all the time. Even the Soldier has slipped headphones over their head to block out the others. There’s a reason why Bucky had asked T’challa if he could have a farm out away from the Rouges’ Villa. 

_‘Kinetic Sand Cutting is better!’ The Soldier huffs._

‘Shut it, Soldier.’ Bucky snorts back. 

Before Bucky and the Soldier could start a little disagreement, the door to the royal garden creaks opened. Bucky turned to look and saw a servant pushing a cart of food toward them. The first thing to hit Bucky’s nose is the smell of sausage. The man’s mouth began to water, the smell of maple sausage was very calling. Bucky had to hold the Soldier back once he caught a glimpse of whipped cream. Bucky didn’t know what it was with whipped cream, but it drove the Soldier crazy. 

“Huh, didn’t know about that,” Tony says, he stands from his sitting spot and wanders off. Bucky raised a brow, their breakfast was coming near and Tony didn’t seem to notice. But then the man remembered that Stark didn’t have enhanced abilities Like Barnes did. Bucky sighed and shook his head. The Soldier has his attention on the cart coming. The whipped cream making the Soldier hyper-focus. It’s one of the few things that make the Soldier hyper-focus and Bucky find it a bit funny. 

“Your breakfast, Sirs. Courtesy of the Queen Mother.” The servant bowed and Bucky nods, thanking the young man for bringing them their food. 

“Thank you.” Bucky hummed. The man nodded and retreated from the room. Bucky chuckled to himself and turned his head about to find where Tony had wandered off too. Once finding him kneeling over some flowers again, Bucky called, “Tony breakfast!”

“What’s for breakfast?” Tony asks, once he’s back with Bucky and sitting. 

“Looks like eggs, pancakes, sausage, and mixed fruit.” Bucky counted the breakfast items all on a hand. The Soldier purrs in his head about how good the whipped cream looks. He's begging for a plate with a pancake and a heaping helping of the cream. Bucky hums, motioning for Tony to make a plate. He wants to make the Soldier suffer a little. “And some whipped cream.” 

_‘A more All American breakfast it seems.’ The Soldier hums. The giddiness for the whipped cream vibrates from him. This makes Bucky laughs. Much to the Soldier’s displeasure. He doesn’t find amusement with anything Barnes gets giddy about anything. Well, the Soldier doesn’t show it, but Barnes does like to annoy the Soldier._

‘Hush, food is food.’ Bucky snickers as the smaller man looks over the cart of food. He purposely ignores the Soldier’s whine for a plate. Bucky wanted to make sure that Tony gets what he wanted, first. 

“There’s blueberries!” Tony chirps as he picks a little berry up and pops it into his mouth. 

Bucky chuckled as he watched Tony make his plate. The Soldier became antsier as Tony took his time. Of course, Bucky knew that the Soldier would wait until Tony had his fill before having Bucky made a plate for them. But when whipped cream is added to the mix, the Soldier just couldn’t help himself. He loved the whipped, creamy, and airy texture of the item. It was one of the first few foods that the Soldier got to taste after escaping Hydra. So the food object is associated with freedom and Bucky knows this. But he still had to keep the Soldier in check. 

“There are many kinds of berries. And other fruits.” Bucky smiled as Tony put a dollop on the cream on his pancakes, the man had at least three. Then Tony littered the pancakes with blueberries. This made both Bucky and the Soldier chuckle. 

_‘I bet he’ll take all the blueberries.’ The Soldier chimes in. He and Bucky watch Tony pour himself a glass of orange juice. Then he begins to dig into his breakfast. The soldier gets a bit happy now that he and Bucky can eat. And there’s a lot of whipped cream left too!_

‘It’s fine. At least he’s eating.’ Bucky says as he picks a plate up and slaps a pancake on it. He looks over the toppings and syrups that are on the cart. Bucky knows that he’ll be adding whipped cream to the pancake but he gets to customize it to his taste. So, the one-armed man put some sausages on his plate. He then poured a bit of syrup and piled on some strawberries. And finally, some whipped cream. 

_‘True.’ The Soldier says. He can’t physically smile, but the notion of smiling is enough for the Soldier. Now only does he have his beloved whipped cream, but Tony is happy eating his breakfast. ‘He doesn’t tend to have a healthy eating schedule, from what I’ve heard.’_

‘Wonder if it’s true.’ Bucky says to the Soldier as he cuts into the pancake and pops a piece into his mouth. The syrup is sticky but sweet. The fruit is crisp and sweet. And the whipped cream is fluffy. The fluffiest he’s ever tasted and the Soldier is purring with so much delight. Bucky swears he can feel the vibration. ‘Steve and them don’t seem to include Stark in many things. They said he spends a lot of time in his workshop. He could be eating in there.’ 

_‘That’s possible.’ The Soldier hummed, sounding sleepy. His presence beginning to dull. This caused Bucky to perk up and slightly worry. Bucky knew that the Soldier loved whipped cream but he’s never acted like this before. Something's off and this concerned him._

You ok?’ Bucky asks. The Soldier pushes a calming wave to Bucky and the man relaxes. He didn’t know that he had tensed up. He’s glad the Soldier had calmed him. Bucky takes a glance at Tony and notes the man is still eating his breakfast. Completely ignoring Bucky. The man is glad about this, he doesn’t want to explain that he and the Soldier are having a conversation. At least not at the moment. 

_‘Tired. Still in that Post Cryo Hibernation state.’ The Soldier says in what Bucky would describe as a yawn._

Indeed the two had woken up from Cryo about two and a half months ago. Bucky had been taking the time slow to allow the Soldier to wake up. But Steve had started to get pushy and Bucky was not comfortable about that. It doesn’t help that Steve has been hovering over him since he’s woken up and Bucky has been craving his personal space. And the Rogue Avengers were friendly with him, but the way they talked about Stark was getting on his nerves. He’s very glad that T’challa had gotten him a small farmhouse away from the Rouges’ Villa. Then he saw the two children heading to the forest.

And that horse. 

That horse that tried to take Stark. 

‘And it’s been very eventful since we’ve woken up. Not a lot of time to naturally wake up.’ Bucky hummed, popping another piece of pancake into his mouth. 

_‘Indeed.’ The Soldier agreed._

Bucky looked around the garden and breathed the warm air into his lungs. The breeze is cool and welcome. ‘Take a nap. I don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon. Steve can wait.’ 

Bucky felt the Soldier nod and soon he drifted into asleep.

For now, Bucky is going to make sure that he, the Soldier and Tony have a very relaxing day. Yesterday was very stressful and all three could use a day of relaxation. But, Bucky is still vigilant about making sure that the horse didn’t get near Stark at all. He isn’t going to lose another to this horse. 

The only way this horse will get Stark is through…

Bucky’s dead body.


End file.
